I have no idea what his site actually contains. I tried to acess it and was blocked by my work server. Though it is possible that my server runs on Microsoft products...
posted
I must admit...$10 doesn't sound like "good faith" to me. I understand vigorously defending your copyright, especially when you're as disliked as Microsoft is in some arenas. But this sounds just a little frivolous.
I would never mistake MikeRowesoft for Microsoft.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't think you can claim copyright infringement on a homonym, unless they're TRYING to fraudulently make people think they are you.
Has he done ANYTHING other than register the domain? I get the "403 Forbidden" message. Then again, I'm using IE . . . Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Personally, I think that Microsoft has enough money that it should be able to hire lawyers that know the difference between copyright and trademark.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm using Mozilla and still get the same forbidden error. I would imagine that he's taken it down.
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Here, you can borrow my Mike Row meter. You'll want to make sure that lumber has the right dimensions before you use it.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote:Has he done ANYTHING other than register the domain
Why don't you call the Mike Rowe phone and ask him?
/me admits to having registered domains for the sole purpose of being cute or otherwise inappropriate
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm fairly certain the site's been /.'d. He is a web designer, and the website has something to do with that business (a hobby business, I believe).
don't forget, this guy's 17.
There are lots of IANAL posts on /. taking sides on whether or not Mike Rowe has dug himself into a hole by suggesting M$ pay him $10k.
Posts: 1892 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I was able to see the site and all of the site news is about his business and new websites and other such stuff until the stuff about microsoft. It isn't like he was intending to do anything anti-microsoft with his website, or even mention microsoft.
Posts: 981 | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Actually, I believe 2x4s are 1 3/4" x 3 3/4". Or something like that. But they're not really two inches by four inches.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Suneun is right. He's fallen for the old offer-counteroffer gambit that slick companies use to "prove" a squatter is acting in bad faith. On the one hand, it's a fact that trademark law requires you to defend your mark or risk losing it; on the other, kids aren't born with the knowledge that you must ignore offers from slick lawyers. On behalf of witty jokesters everywhere, I'm siding with the little guy.
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
Thank the irony dieties for staying away, in that he did not use any MS products in the design of his website. As a professional website developer, this is not a huge shock (Dreamweaver really is a wonderful program).
I agree he might have erred in asking 10,000 bucks, but I think MS did the same by offering 10 in a written statement AFTER Rowe had mentioned he has invested time and effort into his business.
The reasons for the errors was the 250,000 hits his webpage took, and that they killed his previous host. It's all explained on the site.
Does this strike anyone else as putting MS in the same light as the RIAA when it sued the very old or very young? I mean, talk about some types of publicity you really don't want.
posted
I'm gonna sit on the fence on this one. The kid made some very poor choices, but I think MS is going a bit overbroad.
On one hand, the kid admitted that he knowingly registered the domain to sound like microsoft. This could be construed as bad faith, in an attempt to imitate the site.
Second, when microsoft offered to pay him for the cost of the domain $10, he counter offered for $10,000. Sure, I can understand that he put some work into the site, but IMO, 10k is a bit much. Especially since he could take the data with him, and retool it for another domain name. Either way, IMO, this is defintely bad faith.
Of course, the really interesting part is that it won't be a real court that decides this, but instead it'll be the WIPO that decides this (and they're known for being business friendly).
Posts: 851 | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Is his legal name Mike Rowe or Michael Rowe? If so than I vote for him. If not, he's a loser.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[The Wave]](graemlins/thewave.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Evil]](graemlins/evil.gif)
